What is Mucormycosis? Mucormycosis is an infection caused by several species of filamentous molds belonging to the order Mucorales. The infections usually occur in immunocompromised individuals with one or more underlying conditions. The fungi responsible for these infections are found in different environmental niches like soil, decaying vegetables, bread, and … Read more
Benedict’s test for reducing sugars Definition Benedict’s test is a biochemical test performed to distinguish reducing sugars (monosaccharides and some disaccharides) from non-reducing sugars. Objectives To detect the presence of simple carbohydrates in a solution. To distinguish between reducing and non-reducing sugars. Principle The carbohydrates having a free or potentially … Read more
Water Definition Water is an inorganic liquid chemical that is colorless, odorless, tasteless that makes up most of the Earth’s hydrosphere and the fluids in the body of all living beings. Water is an extremely important component for the existence of life as it is vital for all biological processes. … Read more
Carbohydrates Definition Carbohydrates are a large group of organic compounds consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen which can be typically broken down into monomers to release energy in living beings. These are the most abundant biomolecules in the living body in terms of mass. Carbohydrates are also known as saccharides … Read more
Amino acids and their structure Proteins are macromolecules made up of monomers called amino acids. Amino acids are the building block of all proteins. An amino acid is a simple organic compound consisting of a basic group (-NH2), an acidic group (-COOH), and an organic R group that is unique … Read more
What are Lipids? Lipids are a group of diverse macromolecules consisting of fatty acids and their derivatives that are insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents. Lipids consist of fats, oils, hormones, and certain components of membranes that are grouped together because of their hydrophobic interactions. The lipids are essential constituents … Read more
Enzymes Definition An enzyme is a protein biomolecule that acts as a biocatalyst by regulating the rate of various metabolic reactions without itself being altered in the process. The name ‘enzyme’ literally means ‘in yeast’, and this was referred to denote one of the most important reactions involved in the … Read more
Factors that affect enzyme action Enzymes are biological catalysts that accelerate the rate of chemical reactions in the biological system of living beings. Like catalysts, enzymes are also affected by a number of factors that regulate enzyme action. These factors are related to the chemical nature of enzymes as enzymes … Read more
What are Enzyme Inhibitors? Inhibitors are compounds that convert the enzymes into inactive substances and thus adversely affect the rate of enzymatically-catalyzed reaction is called an enzyme inhibitor, and the process involved is termed enzyme inhibition. Some enzyme inhibitors are normal body metabolites that inhibit a particular enzyme while other … Read more